Google Accused by DOJ of Hiding Behind Sham Privilege Claims

Alphabet Inc.'s Google has trained its employees to label virtually all correspondence connected to its search engine business as privileged in an effort to hide the company’s anti-competitive conduct, U.S. Department of Justice attorneys said in a court filing.

Government attorneys are asking a federal judge to order Google and Alphabet, to turn over tens of thousands of documents “relating to the exclusionary search-distribution agreements at the heart of Google’s monopolies.” It argues that the documents aren’t protected attorney-related material but instead are part of a yearslong practice reaching to the highest levels of the company.

“In 2016, Google instructed ...